5 Best Things to Do in Los Angeles During Halloween

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is the biggest free street party in Southern California and the top pick for Halloween parties Los Angeles visitors can join without a ticket. The 2026 edition is set for Saturday 31 October from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., according to Visit West Hollywood, with the party spilling into Rainbow District bars and clubs long after the stages close. Admission is free.

The Carnaval started in 1987 and now draws more than 100,000 people in costume to a one-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard (the historic Route 66) between North Doheny Drive and North La Cienega Boulevard. The main stage sits at Santa Monica Boulevard and North San Vicente Boulevard, with DJs, drag performers and live music spread along the route. Costumes range from quick group looks to elaborate builds that took months, and people-watching is the main event. Security rules are strict: no alcohol on the street, no backpacks and no weapons, including prop weapons, so plan your costume accordingly.

Getting there takes some planning because parking in West Hollywood disappears and streets close from the afternoon. The city runs a free WeHo Halloween Ride shuttle from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. along Santa Monica Boulevard, and select vehicles link to Metro's Hollywood/Highland station on the B Line from 6 p.m. to midnight. Of all the Halloween events Los Angeles hosts, this is the one where rideshare surge pricing hits hardest after 11 p.m. Among Halloween things to do Los Angeles offers for free, nothing else comes close to the scale.

Pro Tip: Arrive by 7 p.m. and enter from the La Cienega end, where crowds are thinner, then walk east toward the San Vicente main stage. Book a bar table on Santa Monica Boulevard in advance if you want a seat after 10 p.m.

Carved at Descanso Gardens is the easiest yes among Halloween events in Los Angeles for family groups, a jack-o'-lantern walk with no scare actors and no mazes. The 2026 run is nightly from 2 October to 1 November, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the 150-acre botanic garden in La Cañada Flintridge, about 30 minutes north of Downtown Los Angeles.

The route winds past hundreds of glowing jack-o'-lanterns, dozens of giant hand-carved pumpkins and lit art installations under the oak canopy. New for 2026 are sculptures by Finnish artist Alexander Reichstein in the garden's labyrinth, his first exhibition in the United States, while Bobolito's Rhizome sculpture has moved to the Oak Grove. On 31 October a trick-or-treat addition turns the walk into a Halloween night outing for younger kids, which makes it one of the best Halloween events in Los Angeles for family plans on the day itself.

Tickets are dated and priced by night. Non-member adults pay $29 to $52 (about €25 to €45) and children $19 to $37, with weekends and the final week of October at the top of the range. Children under 2 go free. A new Anytime Ticket at $85 (about €73) for non-members lets you pick any night during the run, which is useful if weather or tired kids force a change. Parking is free but first come, first served, and the lot fills on Friday and Saturday evenings in late October.

Pro Tip: Book the 6 p.m. entry on a Monday to Wednesday night in early October for the lowest adult price, near $29, and the least crowded paths. Bring a light jacket, as the foothills cool quickly after dark.

The Día de los Muertos festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the largest Day of the Dead celebration in Los Angeles and a cultural counterweight to the scare-focused picks on this list. The 27th annual edition takes place on Saturday 24 October 2026 from noon to midnight, under the theme "All Under One Sky - Bajo Un Mismo Cielo". Official details are published on ladayofthedead.com.

Hollywood Forever, founded in 1899, is the resting place of Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino and Johnny Ramone, and for one day its lawns fill with dozens of community altars competing for cash prizes of $5,000, $3,500 and $2,500. The programme includes a ceremonial procession, Aztec and folklórico dancers, a children's plaza, art in the cemetery's cathedral mausoleum and a costume competition. The 2026 music line-up on the Muerte y Tradición stage features DannyLux, Trish Toledo, Tropa Magica and Los Shadows, with DJ sets into the night.

Tickets are sold for three entry windows, and you may stay past your window once inside. The noon to 4 p.m. entry costs $35.93 (about €31) including fees, with a kids ticket for ages 5 to 12 at $26.71; the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. slot is $46.46 (about €40) and the 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. slot is $41.07. Children under 5 enter free, and there are no refunds or exchanges. It is a respectful event rather than a Halloween costume party, so skull face paint is welcome but gory costumes are out of place.

Pro Tip: Take the noon entry, walk the altars before 3 p.m. while the light is good and the lanes are clear, then stay for the procession and headliners. Parking structures on Lemon Grove Avenue and Van Ness Avenue fill by late afternoon.

The Queen Mary's Dark Harbor in Long Beach turns a 1936 ocean liner into one of the most atmospheric Halloween activities Los Angeles County offers. The 13th season runs on select nights from 18 September to 1 November 2026, from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on most nights and to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with Early Entry and VIP guests admitted from 7 p.m.

The Queen Mary sailed the North Atlantic for three decades before being retired to Long Beach in 1967, and ghost stories about the ship, especially its first-class pool and cabin B340, feed directly into the event. The 2026 season has six mazes, including the new Shipwreck, reimagined versions of Lullaby and Infirmary, and the long-running Voodoo maze. Between mazes you will find themed bars and hidden speakeasies, rides such as the Sinister Swings and new Blacklight Bumper Cars, and paid extras including séances and escape games.

Tickets include fees and vary by night: Sundays start at $47.99 (about €41), weeknights and Fridays are about $61.99 and standard Saturdays $66.99. The peak Saturdays of 10, 17, 24 and 31 October cost $75.99 (about €65). Dark Harbor is recommended for ages 13 and up, and children under 7 are not allowed in the mazes. On-site parking requires a Preferred Parking pass bought in advance, general parking is off site in downtown Long Beach with a guest shuttle, and bags larger than 6 x 6 x 8 inches are refused with no bag check.

Pro Tip: Pick a Sunday for the $47.99 entry and shortest maze lines, arrive around 7 p.m. to clear parking and security, and do Shipwreck first. Book Preferred Parking early if you are driving, as it sells out on October weekends.